Method of fastening strips of material



g- 1938. c:' A. WOODWARD 2,126,161

METHOD 0F FASTENING STRIPS 0F MATERIAL Filed July 17, 1956 57/278 Ki/i0 K 026m an fAWO odw'ar. I

Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES;

PATENT- OFFICE METHOD or FASTENING STRIPS F MATERIAL 2 Claimsr (Cl. 218-29) My invention relates to an-improved-methodfor fastening superposed strips of material together, one of the strips preferably-being of metal material and another strip-beingof cardboardor a like substance.

In the drawing, which illustrates a preferred ing the punch in theact of piercing the superposed strips; V

Fig. 3 isa View similar to that of Figure 1 showing the punch after it has passed through the strips withthe fastener member about to engage a curlingdie;

Fig. 415 aview similar to that of Figure 1 showing the punch at the end of its downward movement and the fastener member upset by the curling die to hold thestrips together; 'Fig. 5 is a front View of my fastener member per se; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the fastener member shown in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1-4 of the drawing I have shown a strip of sheet metal material I superposed upon a strip 2 formed of cardboard or similar material having a slight amount of resiliency with the bottom surface 3 of the cardboard strip 2 supported by a die 4. A punch 6, which may be attached to any suitable machine (not shown), is adapted to come down upon the superposed strips and pierce the. same. A fastener member 5, preferably in initial assembly with the punch 6, has a free end portion constructed 'to pass through the strips I and 2 during downward movement of the punch and adapted, in the same operation by which it is carried through the strips I and 2, to engage a suitable portion of the die 4 and be upset thereby, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to secure the strips together.

The die 4, in my preferred construction, is provided with a curling die in the form of a peripheral groove "I cut in the face of the die having, 50 preferably, a bowed cross-section, as most clearly shown in Figs. 1-3 of the drawing. A piercing die 8 is located substantially in the center of the body portion 9 of the die extending axially thereinto from the face of the die and terminating 55 in a clearance ID. The clearance II] is adapted to receive slugs of material cut from the strips I and 2 during the piercing operation.

The punch B, as illustrated in Figs. 1-4, hasabody portion II and a relatively slender piercing pilot pin I2 at one end terminating, in my pre- 5 ferred form,'in'a four-sided taper I3. In my' preferred form I have shown a relatively sharp point at the outermost end of the taper l3, butI donot wish to belimited thereby because I have found that my tool means is capable of 'satisiactory operation ifthe outermost end of the taper I3 is relatively blunt. Furthermore, although I have provided four faces on the taper lIIin my preferred form, it is understood that I do not wish to be -limited by any particular number of faces; '15 or, in fact, toany faces at all, as this feature is optional depending on the materials and thicknesses of the strips desired to be pierced. In the preferred form of my device an arm I4 is' provided having a lateral extension I5 at one end 20 disposed within the body I I of the punch 6 in=, such a way that the arm l4 may be moved laterally and longitudinally relative to the punch 6. At the. opposite end of the arm 14 from the extension I5 I have'provided an'attaching portion Ni -25 extending below the body portion I I and of thinner construction than the-arm 14 so as to provide a notch I'I adjacent to the portion I6. A spring action is given to the arm M through means of a continuous spring I8 normally maintaining the 30 arm M in adjacent relation to the body portion I I, as shown in Figs. 1-4 of the drawing. The attaching portion I6 engages a portion of the fastener member 5 in a spring grip so as to maintain the fastener member 5 in assembly with the 35 punch until downward movement of the punch has been completed.

The fastener member 5, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, is in the form of an eyelet having a base flange I9 and a hollow shank 263 4.0 pressed from the flange I9. The shank 26 is preferably provided with a tapered free end portion 2| for aiding passage of the shank through the strips I and 2.

In operating my device to secure the strips I 45 and 2 together, the strips are first placed upon the die 4 in such a way that they lie in superposed relation. with the cardboard strip 2 having its lower surface adjacent the open face of the die. The fastener member 5 is then assembled with the punch 6 by slipping the flanged base I9 over the pin I2 until the base 19 lies substantially adjacent the body portion I I. At this time a portion of the base is disposed within the notch ll of the arm l4 and engaged in a slight spring grip by the attaching portion I6 so that the fastener member is held in assembly with the punch. The punch is then brought down upon the superposed panels I and 2 and the taper I3 at the free end of the pin I2 penetrates the metal sheet I causing the material of the sheet to commence to flow outwardly substantially as shown in Fig. 2. As the taper I3 continues through the cardboard strip 2, the tapered free end 2I of the fastener member engages the sheet metal strip I causing a continuation of the flow of metal material in an outward direction, as shown in Fig. 3. After the taper I3 has passed through the strips it enters the piercing die 8 which acts as a guide causing the outermost end of the taper 2| of the shank to strike the curved surface of the curling die I. As the punch reaches the end of its downward movement the free end of the shank 20 is curled back by means of the die I so that it engages the bottom surface 3 of the strip 2, as shown in Fig. 4. Prior to completion of the curling action, the attaching portion I6 contacts the plate I to move the arm I4 longitudinally of the body portion I I of the punch so that the arm I4 takes a position substantially as shown in Fig. 4. Upon commencement of upward movement of the punch, the attaching portion I6 disengages the flange I9, and during the upward movement the action of the spring I8 causes the arm I4 to return to'normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. The strips I and 2 are now permanently held between the base I9 of the fastener member 5 engaging the upper surface of the strip I and the curled portion 22 (Fig. 4) of the fastener member. Any number of fasteners may be applied to the strips for holding the same together and the fasteners may be attached to any portion of the superposed panels. It is also possible by my device to fasten more than two superposed strips together by increasing the relative lengths of the rivet and pilot pin.

While I have illustrated and described a punch having the string-actuated arm I4 for initially assembling the fastener member 5 with the punch, it is understood that the arm I4 could be dispensed with by substituting a form of automatic feed operating in such a way that the pilot pin I2 would pick up each fastener member during downward movement of the punch and carry the fastener through the strips for securing the strips together in the manner which has been described in connection with my preferred form.

As a result of my invention, I have provided an easily operated means for securing strips of material together using'a rivet-like fastening means which is of comparatively simple and inexpensive construction.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred form of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of my invention is best set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of fastening two superposed strips of material together by an eyelet mem ber having a flanged base and a hollow shank extending from said base, at least one of said strips said shank through said strips and then striking said free end against a suitable die for upsetting said free end to hold said strips between said upset portion and said flanged base.

2. The method of fastening a strip of metal material to a strip of cardboard or the like material by an eyelet member having a flanged base and a hollow shank extending from said base, said shank having a tapering outside wall adjacent to its free end portion which comprises placing said strips upon a suitable die so that the strips are in superposed relation and then piercing said strips with a sharp pointed piercing pilot closely fitting the inside of the shank of one of said eyelet members and, in the same operation, carrying the tapered end of said shank through said strips so that said tapered end strikes said die and is upset thereby against the surface of one of said strips whereby said strips are held between said upset portion engaging the lower surface of one of said strips and the base flange engaging the upper surface of said other strip.

CLEMENT A. WOODWARD. 

